Party Leaders in U.S. Congress

Party Leaders in the United States Congress, 1789-2013
Valerie Heitshusen Analyst on Congress and the Legislative Process March 4, 2013
Congressional Research Service 7-5700 www.crs.gov RL30567
CRS Report for Congress

Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress
Summary
This report briefly describes current responsibilities and selection mechanisms for 15 House and Senate party leadership posts and provides tables with historical data, including service dates, party affiliation, and other information for each. Tables have been updated as of the reports issuance date to reflect leadership changes. Although party divisions appeared almost from the First Congress, the formally structured party leadership organizations now taken for granted are a relatively modern development. Constitutionally specified leaders, namely the Speaker of the House and the President pro tempore of the Senate, can be identified since the first Congress. Other leadership posts, however, were not formally recognized until about the middle of the 19th century, and some are 20th century creations. In the earliest Congresses, those House Members who took some role in leading their party were often designated by the President as his spokesperson in the chamber. By the early 1800s, an informal system developed when the Speaker began naming his lieutenant to chair one of the most influential House committees. Eventually, other members wielded significant influence via other committee posts (e.g., the post-1880 Committee on Rules). By the end of the 19th century, the formal position of floor leaders had been established in the House. The Senate was slower than the House to develop formal party leadership positions, and there are similar problems in identifying individual early leaders. For instance, records of party conferences in the 19th century Senate are not available. Memoirs and other secondary sources reveal the identities of party conference or caucus chairs for some, but not all, Congresses after about 1850, but these posts carried very little authority. It was not uncommon for Senators to publicly declare that within the Senate parties, there was no single leader. Rather, through the turn of the 20th century, individuals who led the Senate achieved their position through recognized personal attributes, including persuasion and oratorical skills, rather than election or appointment to formal leadership posts. The formal positions for Senate party floor leaders eventually arose from the position of conference chair. Owing to the aforementioned problems in identifying informal party leaders in earlier Congresses, the tables in this report identify each leadership position beginning with the year in which each is generally regarded to have been formally established. The report excludes some leadership posts in order to render the amount of data manageable. A bibliography cites useful references, especially in regard to sources for historical data, and an appendix explains the abbreviations used to denote political parties. This report will be updated as changes in House and Senate party leadership positions occur.
Congressional Research Service
Contents
Introduction and Methodological Notes .......................................................................................... 1 Identifying House Leaders ........................................................................................................ 2 Identifying Senate Leaders ........................................................................................................ 3 Party Affiliation Designations ................................................................................................... 3 Leadership Posts Excluded ........................................................................................................ 4 House Positions: Descriptions and Historical Tables ...................................................................... 4 Speaker of the House of Representatives .................................................................................. 4 Party Floor Leader ..................................................................................................................... 7 Party Whip ................................................................................................................................. 9 Conference or Caucus Chair .................................................................................................... 11 Senate Positions: Descriptions and Historical Tables .................................................................... 16 President Pro Tempore of the Senate ....................................................................................... 16 Deputy Presidents Pro Tempore ........................................................................................ 23 Permanent Acting President Pro Tempore ......................................................................... 24 Party Floor Leader ................................................................................................................... 24 Conference Chair ..................................................................................................................... 28 Party Whip ............................................................................................................................... 29 Source Notes and Bibliography ..................................................................................................... 32
Tables
Table 1. Speakers of the House of Representatives, 1789-2013 ...................................................... 5 Table 2. House Republican Floor Leaders, 1899-2013 .................................................................... 7 Table 3. House Democratic Floor Leaders, 1899-2013 ................................................................... 8 Table 4. House Democratic Whips, 1901-2013 ............................................................................... 9 Table 5. House Republican Whips, 1897-2013.............................................................................. 11 Table 6. House Republican Conference Chairs, 1863-2013 .......................................................... 12 Table 7. House Democratic Caucus Chairs, 1849-2013 ................................................................ 13 Table 8. Presidents Pro Tempore of the Senate, 1789-2013 .......................................................... 17 Table 9. Deputy Presidents Pro Tempore of the Senate, 1977-2013 .............................................. 24 Table 10. Permanent Acting President Pro Tempore of the Senate, 1964-2013 ............................ 24 Table 11. Senate Republican Floor Leaders, 1919-2013 ............................................................... 25 Table 12. Senate Democratic Floor Leaders and Conference Chairs, 1893-2013 ......................... 26 Table 13. Senate Republican Conference Chairs, 1893-2013 ........................................................ 28 Table 14. Senate Democratic Whips, 1913-2013 ........................................................................... 30 Table 15. Senate Republican Whips, 1915-2013 ........................................................................... 31
Appendixes
Appendix. Political Party Abbreviations........................................................................................ 35
Contacts
Author Contact Information........................................................................................................... 36 Acknowledgments ......................................................................................................................... 36
Introduction and Methodological Notes

Although party divisions sprang up almost from the First Congress, the formally structured party leadership organizations now taken for granted are a relatively modern development. Constitutionally specified leaders, namely the Speaker of the House and the President pro tempore of the Senate, can be identified since the first Congress. Other leadership posts, however, were not officially recognized until about the middle of the 19th century, and some are 20th century creations. The following tables identify 15 different party leadership posts beginning with the year when each is generally regarded to have been formally established. The tables herein present data on service dates, party affiliation, and other information for the following House and Senate party leadership posts: House Positions 1. Speakers of the House of Representatives, 1789-2013 2. House Republican Floor Leaders, 1899-2013 3. House Democratic Floor Leaders, 1899-2013 4. House Democratic Whips, 1901-2013 5. House Republican Whips, 1897-2013 6. House Republican Conference Chairs, 1863-2013 7. House Democratic Caucus Chairs, 1849-2013 Senate Positions 8. Presidents Pro Tempore of the Senate, 1789-2013 9. Deputy Presidents Pro Tempore of the Senate, 1977-2013 10. Permanent Acting President Pro Tempore of the Senate, 1964-2013 11. Senate Republican Floor Leaders, 1919-2013 12. Senate Democratic Floor Leaders and Conference Chairs, 1893-2013 13. Senate Republican Conference Chairs, 1893-2013 14. Senate Democratic Whips, 1913-2013 15. Senate Republican Whips, 1915-2013 This information reflects the leadership elections and appointments at the start of the 113th Congress, as well as changes that occurred during the Congress (as of the date of this report).
Included for each post are leaders names, party and state affiliations, and dates and Congresses of service. For most Congresses, the report indicates years of service only, except in the tables for the House Speaker and the Senate President pro tempore, both of which include specific dates of service. When a Member died while holding a leadership office, however, the date of death is included as the end-of-service date (except in Table 13). In cases where a leadership change occurs during the course of a Congress, exact dates of service are indicated where possible. With respect to length of service, the report includes all instances in which a Member held a particular leadership post, regardless of whether the Member held the post for the entire Congress or only a portion of it. Official congressional documents (House Journal and Senate Journal, Congressional Record, and predecessor publications) can be used to document the tenure of the constitutionally specified leaders (i.e., Speaker and President pro tempore). The actions of the party organizations in choosing other leaders, such as floor leaders or caucus or conference chairs, frequently went unacknowledged in these sources, however. In the frequent absence of party caucus records in the latter half of the 19th century, scholars have had to rely on secondary sources, such as memoirs and correspondence, for evidence of party leadership position-holding. The concluding portion of this report, Source Notes and Bibliography, provides more information about sources and the reliability of leadership lists.
Identifying House Leaders

The changing nature of congressional leadership provides additional challenges to identifying leaders not constitutionally specified (e.g., floor leader).1 Even for party elected posts, determining who held other positions can be problematic in earlier Congresses. For example, identifying each partys conference (or caucus) chair often requires reliance on incomplete historical records of conference meetings or inferences made from informal practices (e.g., noting which Member nominated his partys candidate for Speaker, a motion that often fell to the conference chair). In the House, for example, it was the common practice of President Thomas Jefferson and his immediate successors to designate a Member as their principal legislative spokesman. Often these spokesmen held no other formal leadership position in the House, and Presidents frequently designated new spokesmen, or even specialized spokesmen for individual measures, as their terms progressed. As these and other leaders were not chosen by a congressional party group or by a party leader such as the Speaker, these presidential designees have not been included here as party leaders. Most historians who study the 19th century House acknowledge that an informal positional leadership system emerged possibly as early as the War Hawk Congress (1811-1813) under Speaker Henry Clay. Under this system, the Speakerwho at the time designated the chairmen of the standing committeeswould name his principal lieutenant to be chairman of the Ways and Means Committee. After the Appropriations Committee was split from the Ways and Means Committee in 1865, the Speakers principal floor lieutenant received either of these chairs. Sometimes, the Speaker chose a rival for the speakership to chair one of these committees in an effort to resolve intra-party disputes.
See the Source Notes and Bibliography section at the end of this report for a description and citation of the multiple sources used in identifying leaders in the House of Representatives.
1
It is somewhat inaccurate, however, to consider these early leaders to be majority leaders in the modern sense, and they have not been included here. The position of chair of the Appropriations or Ways and Means Committee inevitably made the incumbent a powerful congressional figure because of the important legislation reported from these committees. These chairs were not, however, chosen in a vote by the full party organization, as the majority or minority House leaders are now. Furthermore, other leading congressional figures, such as the Republican leader Thomas Brackett Reed, achieved their positions of influence within the House by service on other committees, such asin Reeds casethe post-1880 Rules Committee.
Identifying Senate Leaders

The Senate developed an identifiable party leadership later than the House. The few existing records of party conferences in the 19th century Senate are held in private collections. Memoirs and other secondary sources reveal the identities of party conference or caucus chairs for some, but not all, Congresses after about 1850; these posts, however, carried very little authority. It was not uncommon for Senators to declare publicly that within the Senate parties there was no single leader.2 Instead, through the turn of the 20th century, individuals who led the Senate achieved their position through recognized personal attributes, including persuasion and oratory skills, rather than the current practice of election to most official leadership posts. The development of Senate party floor leaders was one of slow evolution, like the House, but they arose for the most part from the post of conference chair. Not until 1945 did Senate Republicans specify that the conference chair and floor leader posts must be held by separate Senators. Among Senate Democrats, the floor leader is also chair of the conference. In many secondary sources, Senators are identified as floor leaders before existing party conference records so identify them. In this report, footnotes to the tables attempt to clarify when a leader was identified through official sources such as caucus minutes or through secondary sources.
Party Affiliation Designations

Another problem in identifying party leaders in early Congresses is the matter of party affiliation. Secondary sources reporting on party leaders often relied upon the information compiled in early editions of the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. As the editors of the 1989 edition of the Biographical Directory noted:
The most serious source of error and confusion in previous editions [of the Biographical Directory] [was] the designations of party affiliation. Many of the party labels added to the editions of 1913 and 1928 were anachronistic, claiming for the two modern parties Senators and Representatives elected to Congress before the [modern] Democratic or Republican parties existed. Other entries ignored the frequent shifts in party affiliation during the nineteenth century or omitted reference to short-lived and regional political parties and thus failed to reflect the vigor and diversity of nineteenth-century politics.3
2 3
Woodrow Wilson, Congressional Government (Boston: Houghton-Mifflin, 1885), p. 223. U.S. Congress, Senate, Biographical Directory of the United States Congress 1774-1989: the Continental Congress, September 5, 1774, to October 21, 1788, and The Congress of the United States, from the First through the One Hundredth Congresses, March 4, 1789, to January 3, 1989, inclusive, Bicentennial edition, S.Doc. 100-34, 100th Cong., 2nd sess. (Washington: GPO, 1989), p. 3.
The 1989 and 1997 editions of the Biographical Directory resolved these differences, and their designations of party affiliations are principal sources for this report. The 1997 edition of the Biographical Directory, in particular, included more complete notations where Members changed their party affiliations while serving in Congress.4 The main source for early party affiliations of Senator leaders, principally Presidents pro tempore, is volume four of Senator Robert C. Byrds The Senate, 1789-1989. (Historical Statistics, 1789-1992).5 An Appendix explains the abbreviations used to denote party affiliations in this report.
Leadership Posts Excluded

The tables in this report exclude some leadership posts in order to render manageable the amount of data provided. Specifically, the Senate and House party conference secretaries, and the chairs of party committees (e.g., steering committees, policy committees, committees on committees, and campaign committees) are not presented here. Junior party whips are also not identified. At least since the 1930s in the House, both parties have selected (or allowed the principal whip to designate) subordinate whips. The lack of adequate records makes it almost impossible to identify all deputy whips, regional whips, and zone whips who have been appointed in the last 70 years.
House Positions: Descriptions and Historical Tables

Speaker of the House of Representatives
The position of Speaker is constitutionally specified in Article 1, Section 2. The Speaker is the only party leader who is chosen by a roll-call vote of the full House of Representatives, which occurs after each party has nominated a candidate for the position when a new Congress convenes. House rules give the Speaker various formal duties. These include, for example, administering the oath of office to new Members, signing House-passed bills and resolutions, presiding over the House (and making rulings on the presence of a quorum, points of order, etc.), referring measures to committees, and naming the partys slate of members for certain committee positions. Each party conference cedes additional powers and responsibilities to a Speaker from its own party, including influence over the makeup of certain standing committees. For more information, consult CRS Report 97-780, The Speaker of the House: House Officer, Party Leader, and Representative, by Valerie Heitshusen, and CRS Report RL30857, Speakers of the House: Elections, 1913-2013, by Richard S. Beth and Valerie Heitshusen.
Biographical Directory of the American Congress 1774-1996 (Washington: CQ Staff Directories, Inc., 1997), p. xi. This commercially published edition of the Biographical Directory is a continuation of earlier editions that were published under public auspices. An online, updated, version is also available at http://bioguide.congress.gov/biosearch/biosearch.asp. 5 Robert C. Byrd, The Senate, 1789-1989, 4 vols., S. Doc. 100-20, 100th Cong., 1st sess. (Washington: GPO, 1988-1993), vol. 4, Historical Statistics, 1789-1992. Hereafter cited as Byrds Historical Statistics. See also, Gerald Gamm and Steven S. Smith, Last Among Equals: The Senates Presiding Officer, paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Political Science Association, Boston, MA, September 36, 1998.
Table 1. Speakers of the House of Representatives, 1789-2013

Speaker Frederick A.C. Muhlenberg Jonathan Trumbull Frederick A.C. Muhlenberg Jonathan Dayton Theodore Sedgwick Nathaniel Macon Joseph B. Varnum Henry Clay Langdon Cheeves Henry Clay John W. Taylor Philip Barbour Henry Clay John W. Taylor Andrew Stevenson Andrew Stevenson John Bell James K. Polk Robert M.T. Hunter John White John W. Jones John W. Davis Robert C. Winthrop Howell Cobb Linn Boyd Nathaniel P. Banks James L. Orr William Pennington Galusha A. Grow Schuyler Colfax Theodore Pomeroy James G. Blaine Michael C. Kerr Samuel J. Randall J. Warren Keifer John G. Carlisle Party N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A R(DR)a R(DR)a R(DR)a R(DR)a R(DR)a R(DR)a R(DR)a N/A J N/A J W W D D W D D Amf D R R R R R D D R D State PA CT PA NJ MA NC MA KY SC KY NY VA KY NY VA VA TN TN WA KY VA IN MA GA KY MA SC NJ PA IN NY ME IN PA OH KY 1st 2nd 3rd 4th-5th 6th 7th-9th 10th-11th 12th-13th 13th 14th-16th 16th 17th 18th 19th 20th 21st-23rd 23rd 24th-25th 26th 27th 28th 29th 30th 31st 32nd-33rd 34th 35th 36th 37th 38th-40th 40th 41st-43rd 44th 44th-46th 47th 48th-50th Congress Dates Apr. 1, 1789- Mar. 3, 1791 Oct. 24, 1791- Mar. 3, 1793 Dec. 2, 1793- Mar. 3, 1795 Dec. 7, 1795- Mar. 3, 1799 Dec. 2, 1799- Mar. 3, 1801 Dec. 7, 1801-Mar. 3, 1807 Oct. 26, 1807- Mar. 3, 1811 Nov. 4, 1811- Jan. 19, 1814b Jan. 19, 1814- Mar. 3, 1815 Dec. 4, 1815- Oct. 28, 1820c Nov. 15, 1820- Mar. 3, 1821 Dec. 4, 1821- Mar. 3, 1823 Dec. 3, 1823- Mar. 6, 1825d Dec. 5, 1825- Mar. 3, 1827 Dec. 3, 1827- Mar. 3, 1829 Dec. 7, 1829- June 2, 1834e June 2, 1834- Mar. 3, 1835 Dec. 7, 1835- Mar. 3, 1839 Dec. 16, 1839- Mar. 3, 1841 May 31, 1841- Mar. 3, 1843 Dec. 4, 1843- Mar. 3, 1845 Dec. 1, 1845- Mar. 3, 1847 Dec. 6, 1847- Mar. 3, 1849 Dec. 22, 1849- Mar. 3, 1851 Dec. 1, 1851- Mar. 3, 1855 Feb. 2, 1856- Mar. 3, 1857 Dec. 7, 1857- Mar. 3, 1859 Feb. 1, 1860- Mar. 3, 1861 July 4, 1861- Mar. 3, 1863 Dec. 7, 1863- Mar. 3, 1869g Mar. 3, 1869h Mar. 4, 1869- Mar. 3, 1875 Dec. 6, 1875- Aug. 19, 1876i Dec. 4, 1876- Mar. 3, 1881 Dec. 5, 1881- Mar. 3, 1883 Dec. 3, 1883- Mar. 3, 1889
Speaker Thomas B. Reed Charles F. Crisp Thomas B. Reed David B. Henderson Joseph G. Cannon James B. (Champ) Clark Frederick H. Gillett Nicholas Longworth John N. Garner Henry T. Rainey Joseph W. Byrns William B. Bankhead Sam T. Rayburn Joseph W. Martin, Jr. Sam T. Rayburn Joseph W. Martin, Jr. Sam T. Rayburn John W. McCormack Carl Albert Thomas P. ONeill, Jr. James C. Wright, Jr. Thomas S. Foley Newt Gingrich J. Dennis Hastert Nancy Pelosi John Boehner
Party R D R R R D R R D D D D D R D R D D D D D D R R D R
State ME GA ME IA IL MO MA OH TX IL TN AL TX MA TX MA TX MA OK MA TX WA GA IL CA OH
Congress 51st 52nd-53rd 54th-55th 56th-57th 58th-61st 62nd-65th 66th-68th 69th-71st 72nd 73rd 74th 74th-76th 76th-79th 80th 81st-82nd 83rd 84th-87th 87th-91st 92nd-94th 95th-99th 100th-101st 101st-103rd 104th-105th 106th-109th 110th-111th 112th-
Dates Dec. 2, 1889- Mar. 3, 1891 Dec. 7, 1891- Mar. 3, 1895 Dec. 2, 1895- Mar. 3, 1899 Dec. 4, 1899- Mar. 3, 1903 Nov. 9, 1903- Mar. 3, 1911 April 4, 1911- Mar. 3, 1919 May 19, 1919- Mar. 3, 1925 Dec. 7, 1925- Mar. 3, 1931 Dec. 7, 1931- Mar. 3, 1933 Mar. 9, 1933- Aug. 19, 1934j Jan. 3, 1935- June 4, 1936k June 4, 1936- Sept. 15, 1940l Sept. 16, 1940- Jan. 3, 1947m Jan. 3, 1947- Jan. 3, 1949 Jan. 3, 1949- Jan. 3, 1953 Jan. 3, 1953- Jan. 3, 1955 Jan. 5, 1955- Nov. 16, 1961m Jan. 10, 1962- Jan. 3, 1971 Jan. 21, 1971- Jan. 3, 1977 Jan. 4, 1977- Jan. 3, 1987 Jan. 6, 1987- June 6, 1989n June 6, 1989- Jan. 3, 1995 Jan. 4, 1995- Jan. 3, 1999 Jan. 6, 1999- Jan. 3, 2007 Jan. 4, 2007- Jan. 3, 2012 Jan. 5, 2011-
Sources: See the Source Notes and Bibliography section at the end of this report for a description and full citation of all sources. Notes: A key to all party abbreviations can be found in the Appendix of this report. a. Although the Biographical Directory of the American Congress, 1774-1996 identifies these Speakers as Republicans, the party designation Democratic Republicans is more widely used and familiar to readers. This designation, R(DR), should not be taken to refer to the contemporary Republican Party, which did not emerge until the 1850s. Resigned from the House of Representatives, January 19, 1814. Resigned the Speakership on October 28, 1820. Resigned from the House, March 6, 1825. Resigned from the House, June 2, 1834. Speaker Nathaniel P. Banks served in the House three separate times under three different party designations. In the 34th Congress, he served as an American Party Member.
b. c. d. e. f.
g. h. i. j. k. l. m. n.
Resigned from the House, March 3, 1869. Elected Speaker, March 3, 1869, and served one day. Died in office, August 19, 1876. Died in office, August 19, 1934. Died in office, June 4, 1936. Died in office, September 15, 1940. Died in office, November 16, 1961. Resigned the Speakership, June 6, 1989; resigned from the House, June 30, 1989.
Party Floor Leader

At an organizational meeting prior to the beginning of a new Congress, each party conference (or caucus) in the House selects its floor leader (also called majority leader or minority leader, as appropriate) in a secret-ballot vote. The majority party floor leader works closely with the Speaker and is largely responsible for the partys daily legislative operations, in consultation with other party leaders. Similarly, the minority party floor leader directs the partys ongoing legislative strategies and operations and typically serves as the spokesperson for the party in the House. Each party assigns additional responsibilities to its respective floor leader. For more information on the majority party floor leader position, see CRS Report RL30665, The Role of the House Majority Leader: An Overview, by Walter J. Oleszek. Table 2. House Republican Floor Leaders, 1899-2013
Floor Leader Sereno E. Payne James R. Mann Franklin W. Mondell Nicholas Longworth John Q. Tilson Bertrand H. Snell Joseph W. Martin, Jr. Charles Halleck Joseph W. Martin, Jr. Charles Halleck Joseph W. Martin, Jr. Charles Halleck Gerald R. Ford John J. Rhodes Robert H. Michel Richard K. Armey Tom DeLay Roy Blunt State NY IL WY OH CT NY MA IN MA IN MA IN MI AZ IL TX TX MO Congress 56th-61st 62nd-65th 66th-67th 68th 69th-71st 72nd-75th 76th-79th 80th 81st-82nd 83rd 84th85th 86th-88th 89th-93rd 93rd-96th 97th-103rd 104th-107th 108th-109th 109th Dates 1899-1911 1911-1919 1919-1923 1923-1925 1925-1931 1931-1939 1939-1947 1947-1949 1949-1953 1953-1955 1955-1959 1959-1965 1965-Dec. 6, 1973a Dec. 7, 1973-1981 1981-1995 1995-2003 2003-Sept. 28, 2005b Sept. 28, 2005-Feb. 2, 2006c
Floor Leader John Boehner Eric Cantor
State OH VA
Congress 109th, 110th-111th 112th-
Dates Feb. 2, 2006-2011 2011-
Sources: See the Source Notes and Bibliography section at the end of this report for a description and full citation of all sources. Notes: Bolded entries indicate Congresses in which the floor leader was also majority leader. a. b. c. Resigned from the House on December 6, 1973, after having been confirmed by the Senate to become Vice President to fill the post vacated by the resignation of Spiro T. Agnew. Resigned from leader position on September 28, 2005. Appointed acting Republican floor leader on September 28, 2005, to replace Tom DeLay temporarily until the conference could hold new elections on February 2, 2006. He continued serving as Republican Whip during this period.
Table 3. House Democratic Floor Leaders, 1899-2013

Floor Leader James D. Richardson John Sharp Williams James B. (Champ) Clark Oscar W. Underwood Claude Kitchin James B. (Champ) Clark Claude Kitchin Finis J. Garrett John N. Garner Henry T. Rainey Joseph W. Byrns William B. Bankhead Sam T. Rayburn John W. McCormack Sam T. Rayburn John W. McCormack Sam T. Rayburn John W. McCormack Carl Albert Thomas Hale Boggs Thomas P. ONeill, Jr. James Wright Thomas S. Foley Richard A. Gephardt State TN MS MO AL NC MO NC IN TX IL TN AL TX MA TX MA TX MA OK LA MA TX WA MO Congress 56th-57th 58th-60th 60th-61st 62nd-63rd 64th-65th 66th 67th 68th-70th 71st 72nd 73rd 74th 75th-76th 76th-79th 80th 81st-82nd 83rd 84th-87th 87th-91st 92nd 93rd-94th 95th-99th 100th-101st 101st-103rd 104th-107th Dates 1899-1903 1903-1908 1908-1911 1911-1915 1915-1919 1919-1921 1921-1923 1923-1929 1929-1931 1931-1933 1933-1935 1935-June 4, 1936a 1937-Sept. 16, 1940b Sept. 16, 1940-1947c 1947-1949 1949-1953 1953-1955 1955-Jan. 10, 1962d Jan. 10, 1962-1971e 1971-1973f 1973-1977 1977-1987 1987-June 6, 1989g June 14, 1989h-2003
Floor Leader Nancy Pelosi Steny H. Hoyer Nancy Pelosi
State CA MD CA
Congress 108th-109th 110th-111th 112th-
Dates 2003-2007 2007-2011 2011-
Sources: See the Source Notes and Bibliography section at the end of this report for a description and full citation of all sources. Notes: Bolded entries indicate Congresses in which the floor leader was also majority leader. a. Elected Speaker, filling the vacancy caused by the death of Speaker Joseph W. Byrns. Records indicate that Representative John J. OConnor of New York, chair of the House Rules Committee, served as acting majority leader during the 14 remaining days of the 74th Congress. OConnor does not, however, appear to have been formally elected majority leader at that time and therefore is not included in this list. Elected Speaker following the death of Speaker William B. Bankhead. Elected majority leader on September 16, 1940, to fill post made vacant by the election of Sam Rayburn as Speaker. Elected Speaker at the start of the 87th Congress, 2nd session, following the death of Sam Rayburn. Elected majority leader at commencement of the 87th Congress, 2nd session, when Majority Leader John McCormack was elected Speaker to succeed Speaker Rayburn. Disappeared on a flight from Anchorage to Juneau, Alaska, October 16, 1972. Presumed dead pursuant to House Resolution 1, 93rd Congress. Elected Speaker on June 6, 1989, following Speaker James C. Wrights resignation from that post on the same date. Elected majority leader on June 14, 1989, to fill the post made vacant by the election of Thomas S. Foley to be Speaker on June 6, 1989.
b. c. d. e. f. g. h.
Party Whip
Each House party caucus currently elects its own party whip at organizational meetings as a new Congress begins. House Republicans (or a representative group of their conference) have always elected their party whips; Democrats in the House appointed a chief whip until 1986. Chief deputy whips are currently appointed by the partys chief whip; additional members to serve in the whip team are either similarly appointed or, instead, elected by subsets of the caucus. The whip organization is responsible for assessing the passage prospects for upcoming measures, mobilizing member support for leadership priorities, informing the party rank-and-file regarding legislative scheduling and initiatives, and informing the top party leadership regarding the sentiment of the rank-and-file. For more information, see CRS Report RS20499, House Leadership: Whip Organization, by Judy Schneider. Table 4. House Democratic Whips, 1901-2013
Whip Oscar W. Underwooda James T. Lloyd N/Ac Thomas M. Bell N/Ac GA State AL MO 56th 57th-60th 61st-62nd 63rd 64th-65th, 66th Congress 1901 1901-1908b 1909-1913 1913-1915 1915-1921 Dates
Whip William A. Oldfield John McDuffie Arthur Greenwood Patrick J. Boland Robert Ramspeck John J. Sparkman John W. McCormacka J. Percy Priest John W. McCormacka Carl Alberta Boggsa Jr.a Thomas Hale John J. McFall John W. Brademas Thomas S. Foleya Tony Coelhog William H. Gray, III David E. Bonior Nancy Pelosia Steny H. Hoyera James E. Clyburn Steny H. Hoyer
State AR AL IN PA GA AL MA TN MA OK LA MA CA IN WA CA PA MI CA MD SC MD
Congress 67th-70th 70th-71st, 72nd 73rd 74th-77th 77th-79th 79th 80th 81st-82nd 83rd 84th-87th 87th-91st 92nd 93rd-94th 95th-96th 97th-99th 100th-101st 101st-102nd 102nd-103rd 104th-107th 107th-108th 108th -109th 110th-111th 112th-
Dates 1921-Nov. 19, 1928d 1928-1933 1933-1935 1935-May 18, 1942e 1942-Dec. 31, 1945f 1946-1947 1947-1949 1949-1953 1953-1955 1955-1962 1962-1971 1971-1973 1973-1977 1977-1981 1981-1987 1987-June 14, 1989 June 14, 1989-Sept. 11, 1991h Sept. 11, 1991-Jan. 15, 2002i Jan. 15, 2002-2003j 2003-2007 2007-2011 2011-
Thomas P. ONeill,
Sources: See the Source Notes and Bibliography section at the end of this report for a description and full citation of all sources. Notes: Bolded entries indicate Congresses in which the Democratic whip was the majority whip. a. b. c. Ascended (or re-ascended) to party floor leader. Resigned from position as Democratic whip in 1908 at the conclusion of the 60th Congress. For these periods, there is no official recordin the minutes of the Democratic Caucus or elsewhereof the name of the Democratic whip. Some scholars believe that Representative Thomas Bell may have been the whip from 1909 to 1919; others believe the whip for that period may have been Representative John Nance Garner. See Randall B. Ripley, The Party Whip Organizations in the United States House of Representatives, American Political Science Review, vol. 58, September 1964, p. 504. Died in office, November 19, 1928. Died in office, May 18, 1942. Resigned from the House of Representatives, December 31, 1945. Representative Tony Coelho was the first elected Democratic whip. Resigned from the House of Representatives, September 11, 1991. Elected July 11, 1991, but did not assume the House Democratic whip post until his predecessor in the position, William H. Gray, III, resigned from Congress on September 11, 1991. Elected on October 10, 2001, but did not assume the position of House Democratic whip until January 15, 2002, the date on which Boniors resignation as whip became effective.
d. e. f. g. h. i. j.
10
Table 5. House Republican Whips, 1897-2013

Whip James A. Tawney James E. Watson John W. Dwight Charles H. Burke Charles M. Hamilton Harold Knutson Albert H. Vestal Carl G. Bachmann Harry L. Englebright Leslie C. Arends State MN IN NY SD WY MN IN WV CA IL Congress 55th-58th 59th-60th 61st 62nd 63rd 64th-65th 66th-67th 68th-71st 72nd 73rd-78th 78th-79th 80th 81st-82nd 83rd 84th-93rd 94th-96th 97th-100th 101st 101st-103rd 104th-107th 108th-109th 110th 111th 112th1913-1915 1915-1919 1919-1923 1923-1931 1931-1933 1933-May 13, 1943a 1943-1975 Dates 1897-1905 1905-1909 1909-1913
Robert H. Michelb Trent Lott Dick Cheney Newt Gingrich Tom DeLayb Roy D. Bluntb Eric Cantorb Kevin McCarthy
IL MS WY GA TX MO VA CA
1975-1981 1981-1989 1989-Mar. 17, 1989c Mar. 22, 1989-1995c 1995-2003 2003d-2009 2009-2011 2011-
Sources: See the Source Notes and Bibliography section at the end of this report for a description and full citation of all sources. Notes: Bolded entries indicate Congresses in which the Republican whip was the majority whip. a. b. c. d. Died in office, May 13, 1943. Ascended to party floor leader. Elected House Republican whip on March 22, 1989, following Representative Dick Cheneys resignation from the House on March 17, 1989, to become Secretary of Defense. Served concurrently as whip and acting Republican floor leader from September 28, 2005, to February 2, 2006.
Conference or Caucus Chair

The Republican Conference and the Democratic Caucus are the organizations of the members of the respective parties in the House. Each conference has an elected chair, who presides over its meetings. Decisions made by the conference (and often publicly promulgated by the chair) are generally regarded as the collective sentiment of the respective House party contingent.
11
Table 6. House Republican Conference Chairs, 1863-2013

Chair Justin S. Morrilla N/Ab Robert C. Nathaniel P. Banksc Austin Blair Horace Maynard George W. McCrary Eugene Hale William P. Frye G.M. Robeson Joseph G. Cannon T.J. Henderson Charles H. Grosvenor Joseph G. Cannon William P. Hepburn F.D. Currier William S. Greene Horace M. Towner Sydney Anderson Willis C. Hawley Robert Luce Frederick R. Lehlbach Roy Woodruff Schenckc OH MA MI TN IA ME ME NJ IL IL OH IL IA NH MA IA MN OR MA NJ MI State VT Congress 38th-39th 40th 41st 42nd 43rd 44th 45th 46th 47th 48th-50th 51st 52nd-53rd 54th-55th 56th-57th 58th-60th 61st 62nd 63rd-65th 66th-67th 68th 69th-71st 72nd 73rd 74th 75th-79th 80th 81st 82nd 83rd 84th Charles Hoeven Gerald R. Ford Melvin Laird John B. Anderson Samuel L. Devine Jack Kemp Dick Cheney Jerry Lewis IA MI WI IL OH NY WY CA 85th-87th 88th 89th-90th 91st-95th 96th 97th-99th 100th 101st-102nd 1957-1963 1963-1965 1965-1969 1969-1979 1979-1981 1981-June 4, 1987d June 4, 1987-1989d 1989-1993 Dates 1863-1867 1867-1869 1869-1871 1871-1873 1873-1875 1875-1877 1877-1879 1879-1881 1881-1883 1883-1889 1889-1895 1895-1899 1899-1903 1903-1909 1909-1913 1913-1919 1919-1923 1923-1925 1925-1933 1933-1935 1935-1937 1937-1951
Clifford Hope
KS
1951-1957
12
Chair Richard K. Armey John A. Boehner J.C. Watts Deborah Pryce Adam Putnam Mike Pence Jeb Hensarling Cathy McMorris Rodgers
State TX OH OK OH FL IN TX WA 103rd
Congress
Dates 1993-1995 1995-1999 1999-2003 2003-2007 2007-2009 2009-2011 2011-2013 2013-
104th-105th 106th-107th 108th-109th 110th 111th 112th 113th-
Sources: See the Source Notes and Bibliography section at the end of this report for a description and full citation of all sources. Notes: Bolded entries indicate Congresses in which the Republican Party was in the majority. a. b. c. d. Representative Justin S. Morrill is the first officially designated Republican caucus chair. There exists no clear evidence of formal chairs of Republican organizations in earlier Congresses. Caucus minutes show three Members (Representatives Nathaniel Banks, Luke Poland, and Samuel Hooper) chairing three separate meetings. Caucus minutes show Representative Robert C. Schenck elected chair, but Representative Nathaniel P. Banks chairing two early meetings, possibly in Schencks absence. On June 4, 1987, Representative Dick Cheney was elected conference chair to succeed Representative Jack Kemp, who resigned from the post.
Table 7. House Democratic Caucus Chairs, 1849-2013

Chair James Thompson N/Aa Edson B. Olds George W. Jones N/Ab George S. Houston N/Ac William E. Niblackd Samuel J. Randalld N/Ae William E. Niblack Lucius Q.C. Lamar Hiester Clymer John F. House N/Af George W. Geddes J. Randolph Tucker OH VA IN MS PA TN IN PA AL OH TN State PA 31st 32nd 33rd 34th 35th 36th 37th-40th 41st 42nd 43rd 44th 45th 46th 47th 48th 49th Congress Dates 1849-1851 1851-1853 1853-1855 1855-1857 1857-1859 1859-1861 1861-1869 1869-1871 1871-1873 1873-1875 1875-1877 1877-1879 1879-1881 1881-1883 1883-1885 1885-1887
13
Chair Samuel S. Cox William S. Holman David B. Culberson James D. Richardson James Hay Robert L. Henry Henry D. Clayton Albert S. Burleson A. Mitchell Palmer E.W. Saunders Arthur G. Dewalt Sam T. Rayburn Henry T. Rainey Charles D. Carter Arthur Greenwood David Kincheloe William W. Arnold Clarence F. Lea Edward T. Taylor Robert L. Doughton John W. McCormack Richard M. Duncan Harry Sheppard Jere Cooper Aime Forand Francis E. Walter Jere Cooper Wilbur Mills John J. Rooney Melvin Price Francis E. Walter Albert Thomas Eugene Keogh Dan Rostenkowski Olin Teague Philip Burton
State NY IN TX TN VA TX AL TX PA VA PA TX IL OK IN KY IL CA CO NC MA MO CA TN RI PA TN AR NY IL PA TX NY IL TX CA 50th
Congress
Dates 1887-1889g 1889-1895 1895-1897 1897-1899 1899-1905 1905-1907 1907-1911h 1911-1913h 1913-1915 1915-1919 1919-1921 1921-1923 1923-1925 1925-1927 1927-1929 1929-1930i 1931-1933 1933-1935 1935-1937 1937-1939 1939-Sept. 16, 1940j 1941-1943 1943-1945 1945-1947 1947-1949 1949-1951 1951-1953 1953-1955 1955-1957 1957-1961 1961-May 31, 1963k 1964-1965 1965-1967 1967-1971 1971-1975 1975-1977
51st 52nd-53rd 54th 55th 56th-58th 59th 60th-61st 62nd 63rd 64th-65th 66th 67th 68th 69th 70th 71st 72nd 73rd 74th 75th 76th 77th 78th 79th 80th 81st 82nd 83rd 84th 85th-86th 87th-88th 88th 89th 90th-91st 92nd-93rd 94th
14
Chair Thomas S. Foley Gillis W. Long Richard Gephardt William H. Gray, III Steny H. Hoyer Vic Fazio Martin Frost Robert Menendez James E. Clyburn Rahm Emanuel John B. Larson Xavier Becerra
State WA LA MO PA MD CA TX NJ SC IL CT CA
Congress 95th-96th 97th-98th 99th-100th 101st 101st-103rd 104th-105th 106th-107th 108th-109th 109th 110th 111th-112th 113th-
Dates 1977-1981 1981-1985 1985-1989 Jan. 4-June 14, 1989l June 21, 1989-1995m 1995-1999 1999-2003 2003-Dec. 16, 2005n Dec. 16, 2005n-2007 2007-2009 2009-2013 2013-
Sources: See the Source Notes and Bibliography section at the end of this report for a description and full citation of all sources. Notes: Bolded entries indicate Congresses in which the Democratic Party was in the majority. a. No clear records remain for this Congress. In early practice, the caucus chair often offered the various organizational resolutions at the beginning of a Congress (e.g., the nomination of his partys candidate for Speaker, or the motion to elect the Speaker); examination of these motions can often help in a determination of who was caucus chair. However, several different Democratic Members offered the organizing resolutions for the 31st Congress. No clear data for this period exist. No clear data for this period exist. Representative John Hickman nominated Representative F.P. Blair as Speaker in 1861, but no records show whether Hickman was caucus chair. Representative Samuel J. Randall nominated the partys candidate for Speaker. Caucus records, however, show both Representatives William B. Niblack and Randall as having served as chair during the Congress. The caucus records specify no dates of service. Representative Fernando Wood nominated the Democratic leadership slate in the House, but there is no other evidence to show he was elected caucus chair. Available data show that Representative John F. House offered the Democrats nomination for Speaker in the 47th Congress. However, later data show Representative W.S. Rosecrans issuing the next call for a Democratic Caucus meeting; there is no evidence to suggest that Rosecrans was actually elected caucus chair. Former Parliamentarian Clarence Cannons notes state that [Representative Samuel J.] Cox died during this Congress and [Representative James B.] McCreary evidently succeeded or acted for him. Representative Cox died on September 10, 1889, six months after the sine die adjournment of the 50th Congress and the convening of the 51st Congress. Caucus records are contradictory for this period. They show the election of Representative James Hay as chair on January 19, 1911, but do not mention a resignation by incumbent chair Henry P. Clayton, nor do they specify that Hay was elected chair for the new Congress. Later, they show the election of Representative Albert S. Burleson on April 11, 1911. Resigned from the House, October 5, 1930; there is no record of an election to fill the vacancy as caucus chair. Resigned following election as majority floor leader, September 16, 1940; records do not indicate that a successor was chosen during the remainder of the Congress.
b. c. d.
e. f.
g.
h.
i. j.
15
k. l. m. n.
Died in office, May 31, 1963. Caucus chair post vacant until January 21, 1964. Representative William H. Gray, III, vacated the caucus chair post when he was elected Democratic whip on June 14, 1989. Representative Steny H. Hoyer was elected caucus chair on June 21, 1989, following the June 14, 1989 election of Representative William H. Gray as Democratic whip. Representative Robert Menendez resigned from the House on January 16, 2006, after being apppointed to the Senate seat for New Jersey vacated by Jon Corzine when he was elected governor. Representative Menendez had previously resigned from the caucus chair position, to which Representative James E. Clyburn was elected on December 16, 2005.
Senate Positions: Descriptions and Historical Tables

President Pro Tempore of the Senate
Pursuant to Article 1, Section 3, of the U.S. Constitution, the President pro tempore of the Senate is the chambers presiding officer in the absence of the President of the Senate (the Vice President of the United States). The President pro tempore is elected by the full Senate as the formal institutional leader, and in current practice, is the longest-serving member of the majority party.6 Until 1890, the Senate elected a President pro tempore whenever the Vice President was not in attendance, whether for a day, or permanently, as in the case of the Vice Presidents death or resignation. When the Vice President returned, the President pro tempore lost his place. When the Vice President was again absent, the Senate again elected a President pro temporein many cases the same Senator who had been chosen before. By the standing order agreed to on March 12, 1890, the Senate declared that the President pro tempore shall hold the office during the pleasure of the Senate and until another is elected, and shall execute the duties thereof during all future absences of the Vice President until the Senate does otherwise order.7 The Senates President pro tempore is, pursuant to statute, currently third in the line of presidential succession (behind the Vice President and the Speaker of the House). In the Succession Act of 1792, the position was initially designated to serve in line after the Vice President.8 An 1886 act altered the succession line by replacing congressional leaders with cabinet secretaries, but the President pro tempore post was reinstated in the line (in the current position) in 1947.9 As presiding officer, the President pro tempore has the power to decide points of order and enforce decorum on the floor. The President pro tempore has other formal powers (e.g., appointing conferees; appointing certain Senate officers; and serving on, or appointing others to, working groups, commissions, and advisory boards); however, because the direction of Senate business has fallen in modern times to the majority leader, almost all of these powers are actually exercised by the majority leader in practice.
Electing the longest-serving majority party Senator has generally been the practice since 1890, with some exceptions. The only exception since 1945 has been the election of Senator Arthur Vandenberg in 1947. 7 U.S. Congress, Senate Journal, 50th Cong., 2nd sess., p. 165. See also President Pro Tempore of the Senate, Congressional Record, vol. 21 (March 12, 1890), pp. 2144-2150. 8 1 Stat. 240. 9 24 Stat 1; 61 Stat. 380.
16
As explained in the notes to Table 9 and Table 10 below, the Senate has also had past occasion to select a Deputy President pro tempore and a Permanent Acting President pro tempore. For more information on the President pro tempore (and the deputy and acting posts), consult CRS Report RL30960, The President Pro Tempore of the Senate: History and Authority of the Office, by Christopher M. Davis. Table 8. Presidents Pro Tempore of the Senate, 1789-2013
Name John Langdon Richard Henry Lee John Langdon Ralph Izard Henry Tazewell Samuel Livermore William Bingham William Bradford Jacob Read Theodore Sedgwick John Laurance James Ross Samuel Livermore Uriah Tracy John E. Howard James Hillhouse Abraham Baldwin Stephen R. Bradley Party Pro-Admin Anti-Admin Pro-Admin Pro-Admin Anti-Admin R(DR)a F F F F F F F F F F F R R(DR)a NH PA RI SC MA NY PA NH CT MD CT GA VT State NH VA NH SC VA Congress 1st 2nd 2nd 3rd 3rd 4th 4th 4th 5th 5th 5th 5th 5th 6th 6th 6th 6th 7th 7th Date Elected Apr. 6, 1789 Apr. 18, 1792 Nov. 5, 1792 Mar. 1, 1793 May 31, 1794 Feb. 20, 1795 Dec. 7, 1795 May 6, 1796 Feb. 16, 1797 July 6, 1797 Nov. 22, 1797 June 27, 1798 Dec. 6, 1798 Mar. 1, 1799 Dec. 22, 1799 May 14, 1800 Nov. 21, 1800 Feb. 28, 1801 Dec. 7, 1801 Dec. 14, 1802 Feb. 25, 1803 Mar. 2, 1803 John Brown Jesse Franklin Joseph Anderson Anti-Admin R(DR)a R(DR)a KY NC TN 8th 8th 8th Oct. 17, 1803 Jan. 23, 1804 Mar. 10, 1804 Jan. 15, 1805 Feb. 28, 1805 Mar. 2, 1805 Samuel Smith R(DR)a MD 9th 10th Dec. 2, 1805 Mar. 18, 1806 Mar. 2, 1807
17
Name
Party
State
Congress
Date Elected Apr. 16, 1808
Stephen R. Bradley John Milledge Andrew Gregg John Gaillard John Pope William H. Crawford Joseph B. Varnum John Gaillard
R(DR)a R(DR)a R(DR)a R(DR)a R(DR)a R(DR)a R(DR)a R(DR)a
VT GA PA SC KY GA MA SC
10th 10th 11th 11th 11th 12th 13th 13th 14th 15th
Dec. 28, 1808 Jan. 30, 1809 June 26, 1809 Feb. 28, 1810 Apr. 17, 1810 Feb. 23, 1811 Mar. 24, 1812 Dec. 6, 1813 Apr. 18, 1814 Nov. 25, 1814b [no election] Mar. 6, 1817 Mar. 31, 1918
James Barbour John Gaillard
R(DR)a R(DR)a
VA SC
15th 16th 16th 17th 18th
Feb. 15, 1819 [no election] Jan. 25, 1820 Feb. 1, 1822 Feb. 19, 1823 May 21, 1824 Mar. 9, 1825 May 20, 1826 Jan. 2, 1827 Mar. 2, 1827
CRR J Nathaniel Macon J NC
19th 19th
Samuel Smith
MD
20th 21st
May 15, 1828 Mar. 13, 1829 May 29, 1830 Mar. 1, 1831
Littleton Tazewell Hugh L. White George Poindexter John Tyler William R. King
J J AJ AJ J D
VA TN MS VA AL
22nd 22nd 23rd 23rd 23rd 24th 25th 26th 27th
July 9, 1832 Dec. 3, 1832 [no election] June 28, 1834 Mar. 3, 1835 July 1, 1836 Jan. 28, 1837 Mar. 7, 1837 Oct. 13, 1837
18
Name
Party
State
Congress
Date Elected July 2, 1838 Feb. 25, 1839 July 3, 1840 Mar. 3, 1841 Mar. 4, 1841
Samuel Southard Willie P. Mangum Ambrose H. Sevier David R. Atchison
W W D D
NJ NC AR MO
27th 27th 28th 29th 29th 30th 31st
Mar. 11, 1841 May 31, 1842 [no election] Dec. 27, 1845c Aug. 8, 1846 Jan. 11, 1847 Mar. 3, 1847 Feb. 2, 1848 June 1, 1848 June 26, 1848 July 29, 1848 Dec. 26, 1848 Mar. 2, 1849 Mar. 5, 1849 Mar. 16, 1849
William R. King
AL
31st 32nd
May 6, 1850 July 11, 1850 [no election] Dec. 20, 1852 Mar. 4, 1853 Dec. 4, 1854 Dec. 5, 1854 June 11, 1856 June 9, 1856 Jan. 6, 1857 Mar. 4, 1857 Mar. 14, 1857 Dec. 7, 1857 Mar. 29, 1858 June 14, 1858 Jan. 25, 1858 Mar. 9, 1859
David R. Atchison Lewis Cass Jesse D. Bright Charles E. Stuart James M. Mason Thomas J. Rusk Benjamin Fitzpatrick
D D D D D D D
MO MI IN MI VA TX AL
32nd 33rd 33rd 33rd 34th 34th 34th 35th 35th 35th 36th
19
Name
Party
State
Congress
Date Elected Dec. 19, 1859 Feb. 20, 1860
Jesse D. Bright Benjamin Fitzpatrick Solomon Foot
D D R
IN AL VT
36th 36th 36th 37th 38th
June 12, 1860 June 26, 1860 Feb. 16, 1861 Mar. 23, 1861 July 18, 1861 Jan. 15, 1862 Mar. 31, 1862 June 19, 1862 Feb. 18, 1863 Mar. 4, 1863 Dec. 18, 1863 Feb. 23, 1864 Apr. 11, 1864
Daniel Clark Lafayette S. Foster Benjamin F. Wade Henry B. Anthony
R R R R
NH CT OH RI
38th 39th 39th 40th 41st 42nd
Apr. 26, 1864 Feb. 9, 1865 Mar. 7, 1865 Mar. 2, 1867 [no election] Mar. 23, 1869 Apr. 9, 1869 May 28, 1870 July 1, 1870 July 14, 1870 Mar. 10, 1871 Apr. 17, 1871 May 23, 1871 Dec. 21, 1871 Feb. 23, 1872 June 8, 1872 Dec. 4, 1872 Dec. 13, 1872 Dec. 20, 1872 Jan. 24, 1873
Matthew H. Carpenter
WI
43rd
Mar. 12, 1873 Mar. 26, 1873
20
Name
Party
State
Congress
Date Elected Dec. 11, 1873 Dec. 23, 1874
Henry B. Anthony Thomas W. Ferry
R R
RI MI
43rd 44th 45th
Jan. 25, 1875 Feb. 15, 1875 Mar. 9, 1875 Mar. 19, 1875 Dec. 20, 1875 Mar. 5, 1877 Feb. 26, 1878 Apr. 17, 1878 Mar. 3, 1879
Allen G. Thurman
OH
46th
Apr. 15, 1879 Apr. 7, 1880 May 6, 1880
Thomas F. Bayard, Sr. David Davis George F. Edmonds John Sherman John J. Ingalls
D I R R R
DE IL VT OH KS
47th 47th 47th 48th 49th 49th 50th 51st
Oct. 10, 1881 Oct. 13, 1881 Mar. 3, 1883 Jan. 14, 1884 Dec. 7, 1885 Feb. 25, 1887 [no election] Mar. 7, 1889 Apr. 2, 1889 Feb. 28, 1890 Apr. 3, 1890d
Charles F. Manderson Isham G. Harris Matt W. Ransom Isham G. Harris William P. Frye
R D D D R
NE TN NC TN ME
51st-53rd 53rd 53rd 53rd 54th-56th 57th-59th 60th-62nd
Mar. 2, 1891 Mar. 22, 1893 Jan. 7, 1895 Jan. 10, 1895 Feb. 7, 1896 Mar. 7, 1901 Dec. 5, 1907 Dec. 4, 1911 Jan. 15, 1912 Feb. 12, 1912 Mar. 25, 1912 May 25, 1912
Charles Curtis Augustus O. Bacon Jacob H. Gallinger Henry Cabot Lodge, Sr. Frank B. Brandegee
R D R R R
KS GA NH MA CT
62nd 62nd 62nd 62nd 62nd
21
Name James P. Clarke Willard Saulsbury, Jr. Albert B. Cummins George H. Moses Key Pittman William H. King Pat Harrison Carter Glass Kenneth D. McKellar Arthur Vandenberg Kenneth D. McKellar Styles Bridges Walter F. George Carl T. Hayden Richard B. Russell, Jr. Allen J. Ellender James O. Eastland Warren G. Magnuson Milton R. Young Strom Thurmond John C. Stennis Robert C. Byrd Strom Thurmond Robert C. Byrd Strom Thurmond Robert C. Byrdf Ted Stevens Robert C. Byrd Daniel K. Inouye Patrick J. Leahy D D R R D D D D D R D R D D D D D D R R D D R D R D R D D D
Party
State AR DE IA NH NV UT MS VA TN MI TN NH GA AZ GA LA MS WA ND SC MS WV SC WV SC WV AK WV HI VT
Congress 63rd 64th 64th-65th 66th 67th-69th 69th 70th-72nd 73rd 74th-76th 76th 77th 77th 78th 79th 80th 81st-82nd 83rd 84th 85th-90th 91st-92nd 92nd 92nd-95th 96th 96th 97th-99th 100th 101st-103rd 104th-106th 107th 107th 107th 108th-109th 110th-111th 111th-112th 112th-
Date Elected Mar. 13, 1913 Dec. 6, 1915 Dec. 14, 1916 May 19, 1919 Mar. 7, 1921 Mar. 6, 1925 Dec. 15, 1927 Mar. 9, 1933 Jan. 7, 1935 Nov. 19, 1940 Jan. 6, 1941 July 10, 1941 Jan. 5, 1943 Jan. 6, 1945 Jan. 4, 1947 Jan. 3, 1949 Jan. 3, 1953 Jan. 5, 1955 Jan. 3, 1957 Jan. 3, 1969 Jan. 22, 1971 July 28, 1972 Jan. 15, 1979 Dec. 4, 1980 Jan. 5, 1981 Jan. 6, 1987 Jan. 3, 1989 Jan. 4, 1995 Jan. 3, 2001e Jan. 3, 2001e June 6, 2001 Jan. 7, 2003 Jan. 4, 2007g June 28, 2010 h Dec. 17, 2012
Sources: The principal source for this table is Byrds Historical Statistics, pp. 647-653. See the Source Notes and Bibliography section at the end of this report for a description and full citation of all sources.
22
Notes: A key to party abbreviations can be found in the Appendix of this report. Note that several Senators holding the President pro tempore position were members of (or identified with) different political parties during their congressional careers. This table lists the party with which each individual was affiliated at the time of his service as President pro tempore. In cases in which the historical sources indicate a party switch in the midst of a calendar year (without a specific date), it is presumed that the party switch coincided with the beginning of a new Congress. a. Although the Biographical Directory of the American Congress, 1774-1996 identifies these Presidents pro tempore as Republicans, the party designation Democratic Republicans is more widely used and familiar to readers. This designation, R(DR), should not be taken to refer to the contemporary Republican Party, which did not emerge until the 1850s. Senator John Gaillard was elected after the death of Vice President Elbridge Gerry on November 23, 1814, and continued to serve throughout the 14th Congress, as there was no Vice President. There was no actual election. Senator Ambrose H. Sevier was permitted to occupy the chair for the day. In their table of Presidents pro tempore, Gerald Gamm and Steven S. Smith do not include Seviers service. See Gerald Gamm and Steven S. Smith, Last Among Equals, Table 1: Presidents Pro Tempore of the Senate, p.13. As noted above, in March 1890, the Senate adopted a resolution stating that Presidents pro tempore would hold office continuously until the election of another President pro tempore, rather than being elected only for the period in which the Vice President was absent. That system has continued to the present. When the 107th Congress convened on January 3, 2001, Republican George W. Bush had been elected President. Richard B. Cheney, Vice President-elect, would not be sworn in until January 20, 2001. As a consequence, the Senate was evenly divided, 50 Democrats and 50 Republicans. When Congress convened on January 3, 2001, Vice President Al Gore, a Democrat, remained as President of the Senate, providing Senate Democrats with an effective majority of one. On January 3, 2001, the Senate adopted S.Res. 3, which provided for the election of Senator Robert C. Byrd, Democrat of West Virginia, to serve as President pro tempore from January 3 until the inauguration of President Bush and Vice President Cheney at noon on January 20, at which time Senator Strom Thurmond, Republican of South Carolina, would assume the office of President pro tempore. See Election of the Honorable Robert C. Byrd as President Pro Tempore and Election of the Honorable Strom Thurmond as President Pro Tempore, Congressional Record, vol. 147, January 3, 2001, p. 7. Party control in the Senate shifted with the decision in May, 2001, of Senator Jim Jeffords to leave the Republican party and to become an Independent, caucusing with Senate Democrats. On June 6, the Senate agreed to S.Res. 100 electing Senator Byrd President pro tempore once again. Senator Robert C. Byrd died on June 28, 2010. That day, the Senate adopted S.Res. 567, electing Senator Daniel K. Inouye President pro tempore. Senator Daniel K. Inouye died on December 17, 2012. That day, the Senate adopted S.Res. 619, electing Senator Patrick J. Leahy President pro tempore.
b. c.
d.
e.
f.
g. h.
The Senate has, on occasion, created special offices connected to the position of President pro tempore. These two positionsdetailed belowwere created for specific individuals under narrow circumstances and are not currently in use.
Deputy Presidents Pro Tempore

Pursuant to S.Res. 17 (95th Congress), agreed to January 10, 1977, the Senate established (effective January 5, 1977) the post of Deputy President pro tempore of the Senate to be held by any Member of the Senate who has held the Office of President of the United States or Vice President of the United States. Senator Hubert H. Humphrey was Deputy President pro tempore until his death on January 13, 1978. In the 100th Congress, due to concerns over the health of the President pro tempore, Senator John S. Stennis, the Senate agreed on January 28, 1987, to S.Res. 90, authorizing the Senate to designate a Senator to serve as Deputy President pro tempore during that Congress, in addition to Senators who hold such office under the authority of S.Res. 17 (95th
23
Congress). Accordingly, on the same date the Senate agreed to S.Res. 91 (100th Congress), designating Senator George H. Mitchell Deputy President pro tempore. Table 9. Deputy Presidents Pro Tempore of the Senate, 1977-2013
Deputy President Pro Tempore Hubert H. Humphrey George J. Mitchell a. Party D D State MN ME Congress 95th 100th Dates Jan. 5, 1977-Jan. 13, 1978 Jan. 28, 1987-Nov. 29, 1988a
Senator Mitchell served as Deputy President pro tempore until he was elected majority leader for the 101st Congress on November 29, 1988.
Permanent Acting President Pro Tempore

This post was initially established in 1963 after Senate Majority Leader Michael J. Mansfield became concerned that the stamina of then-President pro tempore, Senator Carl T. Hayden, would be overly taxed by presiding over the prolonged debate on civil rights legislation. In response, the Senate adopted S.Res. 232 and S.Res. 238 (88th Congress) making Senator Lee Metcalf Acting President pro tempore from December 9, 1963, until the meeting of the second session of the 88th Congress. Continuing concerns over the presiding officers responsibilities led the Senate, on February 7, 1964, to authorize Senator Metcalf to perform the duties of the Chair as Acting President pro tempore until otherwise ordered by the Senate via S.Res. 296 (88th Congress). Senator Metcalf held the post throughout his remaining 14 years in the Senate. Table 10. Permanent Acting President Pro Tempore of the Senate, 1964-2013
Permanent Acting President Pro Tempore Lee Metcalf Party D State MT Congress 88th-95th Dates Feb. 7, 1964-Jan. 12, 1978
Party Floor Leader

Each Senate party conference selects its floor leader (also called majority leader or minority leader, as appropriate) in a secret-ballot vote at its organizational meeting prior to the beginning of a new Congress. While these positions developed later than (and arose from) the post of conference chair, they now represent the top post in each party. The majority leader is the lead spokesperson for the party in the chamber and is also responsible for scheduling the legislative activity of the Senate. By precedent established in 1937, the majority leader is afforded priority recognition on the floor. The minority leader leads and speaks for the minority party and is consulted by the majority leader in scheduling Senate floor activity; he also has preferential floor recognition, after the majority leader. The rules of each party conference assign additional responsibilities to each floor leader, as well. In current practice, the floor leader for Senate Democrats also serves as the partys conference chair. (See next section for description of conference chair positions.)
24
Table 11. Senate Republican Floor Leaders, 1919-2013

Floor Leader Henry Cabot Lodge, Sr.a,b,c Charles Curtisa,e James E. Watsona McNarya Charles L. State MA KS IN OR ME NE NH OH CA IL PA TN KS Congress 66th-68th 68th-70th 71st-72nd 73rd-78th 79th 80th 81st-82nd 82nd 83rd 83rd 84th-85th 86th-91st 91st-94th 95th-96th 97th-98th 99th 100th-103rd 104th 104th-106th 107th 108th-109th 110thDates 1919-Nov. 9, 1924d Nov. 28, 1924-1929 1929-1933 1933-Feb. 25, 1944f 1945-1949 1949-Nov. 29, 1951g 1952-1953 1953-July 31, 1953h Aug. 4, 1953-1959 1959-Sept. 7, 1969i Sept. 24, 1969-1977 1977-1985 1985-June 11, 1996j
Wallace H. White, Jr. Kenneth S. Wherry Styles Bridges Robert A. Taft William F. Knowland Everett Dirksen Hugh Scott Howard H. Baker Robert H. Dole
Trent Lott William H. Frist Mitch McConnell
MS TN KY
June 12, 1996 - Dec. 20, 2002k Dec. 23, 200l-2007 2007-
Sources: The principal source for this table is Byrds Historical Statistics, p. 505, with some details provided by Riddick, Majority and Minority Leaders of the Senate, pp. 1-11. See the Source Notes and Bibliography section at the end of this report for a description and full citation of all sources. Notes: Bolded entries indicate Congresses in which the floor leader was also majority leader for at least half of the Congress. For example, while the Republicans began the 107th Congress with a controlling majority, party control switched to the Democrats in June of the first session; the 107thCongress is therefore treated as being under Democratic party control in these tables, where applicable. a. b. Indicates a leader who was also conference chair. Prior to 1945, the Republican conference chair and floor leader positions were held by the same individual. While Byrds volume provisionally lists Republican Conference Chair Henry Cabot Lodge, Sr, as the first Republican floor leader in practice, some sources treat two previous conference chairs as floor leaders in practice. For example, Riddick includes (in Table III, Seniority of Majority and Minority Leaders of the Senate, p.11) conference chairs Senator Shelby M. Cullom as majority leader from 1911-1913 and Senator Jacob H. Gallinger as minority leader from 1913 until his death on August 17, 1918. Elected conference chair in the 65th Congress on August 24, 1918, to replace Senator Gallinger. Senator Lodge was not officially a floor leader; he was simply reelected to the conference chair post in 1919, and the party had not yet employed the designation floor leader. Scholarly opinion is that his role in the 66th to 68th Congresses, for all intents and purposes, was that of the floor leader, however. Byrds volume provisionally lists him as the first majority leader (Table 4-6, p. 506); Riddick includes him in Table III, p.11. Also see Widenor, Henry Cabot Lodge: The Astute Parliamentarian, for additional supporting details. Died in office, November 9, 1924.
c.
d.
25
e.
Senator Charles Curtis was elected conference chair on November 28, 1924, to replace Senator Henry Cabot Lodge, Sr., who died on November 9. On March 5, 1925, the Republican conference also designated him as floor leader, the first Senator to hold the title. Senator Charles L. McNary died on February 25, 1944. There is no reference in congressional sources to the formal selection of a new Republican floor leader during the 78th Congress. In his article summarizing The Second Session of the Seventy-Eighth Congress (January 10-December 18, 1944), American Political Science Review, vol. 39, April 1945, pp. 317-336, Floyd Riddick makes no mention of McNarys death or the selection of a successor. Died in office, November 29, 1951. Died in office, July 31, 1953. Died in office, September 7, 1969. Resigned from Senate, June 11, 1996. Elected June 12, 1996, to replace Senator Robert H. Dole, and resigned from majority leader post, December 20, 2002. Elected December 23, 2002, to replace Senator Trent Lott.
f.
g. h. i. j. k. l.
Table 12. Senate Democratic Floor Leaders and Conference Chairs, 1893-2013
Floor Leader Arthur P. Gormana,b N/Ac John T. Morganb Jonesb AL AR MD KY TX MS VA IN VA AL AR KY IL AZ TX MT James K. State MD Congress 53rd 54th-55th 55th-56th 57th 57th 58th-59th 59th 60th 61st 62nd 63rd-64th 65th 66th Oscar W. Underwoodf Joseph T. Robinson Alben W. Barkley Scott W. Lucas Ernest W. McFarland Lyndon B. Johnson Mike Mansfield 66th-67th 68th-75th 73rd-75th 75th-79th 80th 81st 82nd 83rd 84th-86th 87th-94th 1961-1977 Apr. 27, 1920-1923i 1923-July 14, 1937j July 22, 1937-1949k 1949-1951 1951-1953 1953-1961 Dates 1893-1898 1898-1901 1901-1902 1902-1903 1903-June 4, 1906e June 9, 1906-1907g 1907-1909 1909-1911 1911-1913 1913-1917 1917-Nov. 12, 1919h
Arthur P. Gormand Joseph C.S. Blackburnf Charles A. Culberson Hernando D. Money Thomas S. Martinf John Worth Kernf Thomas S. Martin
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Floor Leader Robert C. Byrd
State WV
Congress 95th-96th 97th-99th 100th 101st-103rd 104th-106th 107th 108th 109th 110th-
Dates 1977-1989
George J. Mitchell Tom Daschlel
ME SD
1989-1995 1995-2005
Harry Reid
NV
2005-
Sources: See the Source Notes and Bibliography section at the end of this report for a description and full citation of all sources. The principal source for this table is Byrds Historical Statistics, p. 503. Some additional details are from Riddicks Majority and Minority Leaders of the Senate, p. 1-11. Initially the Senate Democratic Caucus, the name was officially changed to the Democratic Conference in 1925. Notes: Bolded entries indicate Congresses in which the floor leader was also majority leader for at least half of the Congress. For example, while the Republicans began the 107th Congress with a controlling majority, party control switched to the Democrats in June of the first session; the 107th Congress is therefore treated as being under Democratic party control in these tables, where applicable. a. Byrds identification of the first Democratic conference chair begins with Senator Gorman in the 58th Congress. Other sources, however, rely on unofficial records to give Gorman that title in the 53rd Congress, with Senators Morgan and Jones identified as such in later Congresses (after a period in which reliable sources do not exist); see, for example, Riddick, Majority and Minority Leaders of the Senate, Table I, p. 7. Riddick identifies Senator Gorman as the first Democratic conference chair in 1893, though Byrd does not designate him as such until the 58th Congress. This is also the case with the designations of Senators Morgan in 1901 and Jones in 1902. No reliable records from the caucus exist for this period. Senator Gormans designation as conference chair in the 58th Congress is the first that can be confirmed from official caucus minutes. Died June 4, 1906. Secondary sources generally identify Senator Kern as the first Democratic floor leader in the modern sense of the term. See, for example, Oleszek, John Worth Kern, p. 10. Others have made a case for designating Senator Blackburn as the first, since he was referred to as the Democrats chosen official leader in a congratulatory resolution. See Riddick, p. 3. Still others consider Senator Martin an early floor leader; see Oleszek, John Worth Kern, note 13. Senator Underwood is the first person to be officially called floor leader in minutes of the party conference, so some sources (e.g., Byrd) treat him as the first Democratic floor leader. Elected June 9, 1906. Died November 12, 1919. An initial caucus vote to replace Senator Martin resulted in a tie between Senator Gilbert M. Hitchcock and Senator Underwood. Hitchcock briefly was acting leader until Underwood was elected in April of 1920. See Riddick, p. 9, note 2 Elected April 27, 1920. Died July 14, 1937. Elected July 22, 1937. In the 107th Congress, Senator Daschle became majority leader on June 6, 2001, following a change in party control of the Senate from Republican to Democratic.
b.
c. d. e. f.
g. h.
i. j. k. l.
27
Conference Chair
Each party has a conference organization consisting of all the elected Senators from that party; it is the main body through which the party contingent at large decides and communicates its legislative priorities. While each partys conference chair posts were the first formal party leadership positions in the Senate, eventually floor leader positions were established as uppermost in each partys leadership hierarchy. Since 1945, Republicans have elected their conference chair separately from other leadership posts, but the elected Democratic floor leader also serves as chair of the Democratic Conference. (See Table 12 for the list of Democratic floor leaders/conference chairs.) Table 13. Senate Republican Conference Chairs, 1893-2013
Chair John Shermana William B. Allison Eugene Hale Orville Platt Eugene Hale William B. Allison Eugene Hale William B. Allisond Nelson W. Aldrich Eugene Hale Shelby M. Cullom Jacob H. Gallinger Henry Cabot Lodge, Sr.e Charles Curtise James E. Watsone Charles L. McNarye Arthur H. Vandenberg Eugene D. Millikin State OH IA ME CT ME IA ME IA RI ME IL NH MA KS IN OR MI CO Congress 53rd 54th 55th-56th 57th 57th 58th 58th-59th 59th 59th 60th 60th-61st 61st-62nd 63rd-65th 65th 66th-68th 68th-70th 71st-72nd 73rd-78th 79th 80th-82nd 83rd 84th 85th-89th 90th-92nd 93rd 94th-95th 96th 97th-98th 99th Dates 1893-1897 1897-1901b 1901-1902 1902-1903c 1903-1904 1904-1906 1906-1907 1907-1908 1908-1909 1909-1910 1910-1913 1913-1918 1918-1924 1924-1929 1929-1932 1933-1944 1945-1946 1947-1956
Leverett Saltonstall Margaret Chase Smith Norris Cotton Carl T. Curtis Robert Packwood James A. McClure John Chafee
MA ME NH NE OR ID RI
1957-1966 1967-1972 1973-1974 1975-1978 1979-1980 1981-1984 1985-1990
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Chair Thad Cochran Connie Mack Richard J. Santorum Jon L. Kyl Lamar Alexander John Thune
State MS FL PA AZ TN SD 112th-
Congress 101st 102nd-103rd 104th 105th-106th 107th 108th-109th 110th 110th-112th
Dates 1991-1996 1997-2000 2001-2006 2007-Dec. 6, 2007f Dec. 6, 2007f-Jan. 26, 2012g Jan. 26, 2012-
Sources: See the Source Notes and Bibliography section at the end of this report for a description and full citation of all sources. The principal source for this table is Byrds Historical Statistics, p. 502. Additional detail is from Riddick, Majority and Minority Leaders of the Senate, pp. 7-9). Records of the Republican Conference are extant only from 1911. Secondary sources (see Riddick, pp. 7-9) provide information for years prior to 1893. Rothman, in his work, claims that Senator Henry B. Anthony served as Republican caucus chair for an undetermined number of years beginning in 1869 and that Senator George Franklin Edmunds served as chair from 1885 to 1891. See David J. Rothman, Politics and Power: The United States Senate, 1869-1901, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1966, pp. 6, 28-30. Notes: Bolded entries indicate Congresses in which the Republican party was in the majority for at least half of the Congress. For example, while the Republicans began the 107th Congress with a controlling majority, party control switched to the Democrats in June of the first session; the 107th Congress is therefore treated as being under Democratic party control in these tables, where applicable. Except for those individuals who also served as floor leader (as designated in next note), sources do not provide specific dates of conference chair service (e.g., when there was a death or resignation and, as a result, a mid-session election was held). Therefore, this table provides only years of service for each conference chair and gives no specific dates for transitions that occurred within a session. a. Riddick indicates that secondary sources confirm Sherman as the first Republican conference chair (Table I, p.7); Byrd starts his list (Table 4-1, p.502) with Allisons tenure in the 55th Congress, but notes Shermans previous tenure in a footnote. Byrd lists Senator Allisons tenure in the position as 1897-1901, but Riddick maintains that reliable records do not exist for 1898 to 1901. Using unofficial sources, Riddick (Table I, p. 7) indicates that Senator George H. Hoar was briefly conference chair in 1903. Byrd does not include him. Using unofficial sources, Riddick (Table I, p. 7) indicates Senator Allison was chair; Byrd does not include him. Indicates individuals who were simultaneously identified as the floor leader. See Table 11 of this report. Senator John L. Kyl was elected party whip on December 6, 2007; Senator Lamar Alexander was elected on that day to serve as conference chair. In September, 2011, Senator Lamar Alexander announced his intention to resign from the post, effective January, 2012. Senator John Thune was elected to the position on December 13, 2011, effective January 26, 2012.
b. c. d. e. f. g.
Party Whip
Senate Democrats first selected a party whip in 1913; Republicans followed in 1915. Some accounts of these early selections imply that the individuals were initially appointed, but other contemporary accounts refer to conference elections for the posts. (Republicans first formally codified their conference procedures in 1944, making it clear that the whip post was elected by the conference.) Today, each party conference elects a party whip, who is also known in the
Congressional Research Service 29
Senate as the assistant majority leader or assistant minority leader, depending on the party. Typically, deputy whips are also appointed to assist the whip operation. The whips communicate leadership priorities to the party rank-and-file (and vice versa), provide leaders an assessment of member support for (or opposition to) pending legislative matters, and mobilize support for leadership-supported measures under consideration. For more information, see CRS Report RS20887, Senate Leadership: Whip Organization, by Judy Schneider. Table 14. Senate Democratic Whips, 1913-2013
Whip James Hamilton Lewisa Peter G. Gerry Morris Sheppard James Hamilton Lewis Sherman Minton J. Lister Hill Scott W. Lucasb Johnsonb Francis J. Myers Lyndon B. Earle C. Clement Mike Mansfieldb Hubert H. Humphrey Russell B. Long Edward M. Kennedy Robert C. Byrdb Alan Cranston State IL RI TX IL IN AL IL PA TX KY MT MN LA MA WV CA Congress 63rd-65th 66th-70th 71st-72nd 73rd-75th 76th 77th-79th 80th 81st 82nd 83rd 84th 85th-86th 87th-88th 89th-90th 91st 92nd-94th 95th-96th 97th-99th 100th-101st 102nd-103rd 104th-105th 106th, 107th 108th 109th 110thDates 1913-1919 1919-1929 1929-1933 1933-1939 1939-1941 1941-1947 1947-1949 1949-1951 1951-1953 1953-1957 1957-1961 1961-1965 1965-1969 1969-1971 1971-1977 1977-1991
Wendell H. Ford Harry Reidb
KY NV
1991-1999 1999-2005
Richard Durbin
IL
2005-
Sources: See the Source Notes and Bibliography section at the end of this report for a description and full citation of all sources. The principal source for this table is Byrds Historical Statistics, p. 509, with additional detail drawn from Oleszek, Majority and Minority Whips of the Senate. Notes: Bolded entries indicate Congresses in which the Democratic whip was also the majority whip for at least half of the Congress. For example, while the Republicans began the 107th Congress with a controlling majority, party control switched to the Democrats in June of the first session; the 107thCongress is therefore treated as being under Democratic party control in these tables, where applicable.
30
a.
Senator James Hamilton Lewis became the first Democratic Party whip in 1913. In the Congressional Record, Lewis himself referred to his appointment, but a press account the next year said he was elected. See Oleszek, Majority and Minority Whips of the Senate, p. 4. Indicates individuals who later advanced to floor leader.
b.
Table 15. Senate Republican Whips, 1915-2013

Whip James W. Wadsworth, Jr.a Charles Curtisb Wesley L. Jones Simeon D. Fess Felix Hebert N/Ac Kenneth S. Wherryb Leverett Saltonstall NE MA State NY KS WA OH RI Congress 64th 64th-65th 66th-68th 68th-70th 71st-72nd 73rd 74th-77th 78th-79th 80th 81st-82nd 83rd 84th 85th 86th-90th 91st 91st-94th 95th-96th 97th-98th 99th 100th-103rd 104th 104th-106th 107th 108th-109th 110th 110th-112th 113th1915 1915-1924 1924-1929 1929-1933 1933-1935 1936-1943 1944-1949 1949-1957 Dates
Everett M. Dirksenb Thomas H. Kuchel Hugh D. Scottb Robert P. Griffin Ted Stevens Alan K. Simpson Trent Lottb Don Nickles Mitch McConnellb Trent Lott Jon L. Kyl John Cornyn
IL CA PA MI AK WY MS OK KY MS AZ TX
1957-1959 1959-1969 1969 1969-1977 1977-1985 1985-1995 1995-June 12, 1996d June 12, 1996-2003e 2003-2007 2007-Dec. 6, 2007f Dec. 6, 2007f-2013 2013-
Sources: See the Source Notes and Bibliography section at the end of this report for a description and full citation of all sources. The principal source for this table is Byrds Historical Statistics, p. 509, with additional details provided by Oleszek, Majority and Minority Whips of the Senate. Notes: Bolded entries indicate Congresses in which the Republican whip was also majority whip for at least half of the Congress. For example, while the Republicans began the 107th Congress with a controlling majority, party control switched to the Democrats in June of the first session; the 107thCongress is treated as being under Democratic party control in these tables, where applicable. a. Wadsworth was the first Republican whip, but served only one week before Senator Curtis was named his successor. Some sources describe the selections as appointments, but clearly the party eventually elected individuals to the post. The conference rules for such selection were formally codified only in 1944, but the
31
election practice seems to have been occurring prior to this. See Oleszek, Majority and Minority Whips of the Senate, p. 5. b. c. d. e. f. Indicates individuals who later advanced to floor leader. Between 1936 and 1943, the Republican whip post was filled by informal, irregular appointment by the Republican Leader. Elected majority leader, June 12, 1996. Elected to replace Senator Trent Lott as whip, June 12, 1996. Senator Jon L. Kyl was elected to the position on December 6, 2007, replacing Senator Trent Lott, who resigned from the Senate soon thereafter (on December 18, 2007).
Source Notes and Bibliography

This report relies heavily on primary congressional sources and authoritative documents such as the privately printed Biographical Directory of the American Congress, 1774 to 1996, and a similar online adaptation, the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774 to the Present. In addition, over the years, individual Members of Congress, legislative aides, and scholars have gained limited access to party conference journals. Reliable leadership lists have been compiled from these sources. Where these have been published, they have been used as a source in this report. This report also relies on secondary sources developed by scholars. The Congressional Research Service made no attempt to gain access to caucus or conference minutes in collecting data for this report. Inevitably, conflicting interpretations occur in these data, even among sources generally accepted as reliable. For example, there are disparities on the dates of elections and tenure of Senate Presidents pro tempore between Byrds history, the 1911 Senate document, and Gamm and Smiths research. The report attempts to footnote these divergences where they occur. Unless otherwise noted, the following sources were used to compile the tables in this report: Berdahl, Clarence. Some Notes on Party Membership in Congress. American Political Science Review, vol. 43 (April 1949), pp. 309-332; (June 1949), pp. 492-508; and (August 1949), pp. 721734. Biographical Directory of the American Congress, 1774-1996. Washington: CQ Staff Directories Inc., 1997. Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774 to the Present. Available online at http://bioguide.congress.gov/biosearch/biosearch.asp. Byrd, Robert C. The Senate, 1789-1989. 4 vols., 100th Congress, 1st session. S. Doc. 100-20. Washington: GPO, 1988-1993. Cannon, Clarence. Party History. Remarks in the appendix, Congressional Record, vol. 89 (January 22, 1941), pp. A383-A384. Congressional Directory. Washington: GPO, various years. Congressional Globe. Washington, 1833-1873.
32
Congressional Quarterly Weekly Report. Washington: Congressional Quarterly, Inc., various dates. Congressional Record. Washington: GPO, 1873-present. CRS Report RL30960, The President Pro Tempore of the Senate: History and Authority of the Office, by Christopher M. Davis. Deschler, Lewis. Deschler-Brown Precedents of the United States House of Representatives. 16 vols. Washington: GPO, 1977-2000. Galloway, George B. Leadership in the House of Representatives. The Western Political Quarterly, vol. 12, no. 2, (June 1959), pp. 417-441. Gamm, Gerald and Steven S. Smith. Last Among Equals: The Senates Presiding Officer. In Burdett A. Loomis, ed., Esteemed Colleagues: Civility and Deliberation in the U.S. Senate, pp. 105-134. Washington: Brookings Institution Press, 2000. Martis, Kenneth C. The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress, 17891989. New York: Macmillan, 1989. Oleszek, Walter J. Majority and Minority Whips in the Senate: History and Development of the Party Whip System in the U.S. Senate. 99th Congress, 1st session. S. Doc. 99-23. Washington: GPO, 1985. . John Worth Kern: Portrait of Floor Leader. In Richard A. Baker and Roger H. Davidson, eds., First Among Equals: Outstanding Senate Leaders of the Twentieth Century, pp. 7-37. Washington: CQ Press, 1991. Ripley, Randall B. Party Leaders in the House of Representatives. Washington: Brookings Institution Press, 1967. . The Party Whip Organizations in the United States House of Representatives. American Political Science Review, vol. 58 (September 1964), pp. 561-576. Rothman, David J. Politics and Power. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1966. U.S. Congress. Hinds and Cannons Precedents of the House of Representatives of the United States. 11 vols. Washington: GPO, 1907-1908, 1935-1941. . House. Journal of the House of Representatives of the United States, 1789-present, various publishers. . Senate. Journal of the Senate of the United States, 1789-present, various publishers. . Majority and Minority Leaders of the Senate: History and Development of the Offices of the Floor Leaders. Prepared by Floyd M. Riddick. 99th Congress, 1st session. S. Doc. 99-3. Washington: GPO, 1985. . President of the Senate Pro Tempore. 62nd Congress, 2nd session. S.Doc. 62-101. Washington: GPO, 1911.
33
Widenor, William C. Henry Cabot Lodge: The Astute Parliamentarian, In Richard A. Baker and Roger H. Davidson, eds., First Among Equals: Outstanding Senate Leaders of the Twentieth Century, pp. 38-62. Washington: CQ Press, 1991.
34
Appendix. Political Party Abbreviations

Adams Adams-Clay F Adams-Clay R AJ Am Anti-Admin C CRR D F FL FS I ID IR J JR L LR N N/A NR OP PO PR Pro-Admin R R(DR)a RA S SR U UU W Adams Adams-Clay Federalist Adams-Clay Republican Anti-Jackson American (Know-Nothing) Anti-Administration Conservative Crawford Republican Democrat Federalist Farmer-Labor Free Soil Independent Independent Democrat Independent Republican Jacksonian Jacksonian Republican Liberty Liberal Republican Nullifier Party Unknown or No Party Affiliation National Republican Opposition Populist Progressive Pro-Administration Republican Jeffersonian, Jeffersonian Republican, or Democratic Republican Readjuster Silver Silver Republican Unionist Unconditional Unionist Whig Source: This table is derived from Byrd, Historical Statistics, p. xvi. a. While the Biographical Directory of the American Congress, 1774-1996 identifies the party affiliation of certain Representatives in early Congresses as Republicans, the designation Democratic Republican is more
35
familiar to readers. This designation, R(DR), should not be taken to refer to the contemporary Republican Party, which did not emerge until the 1850s.
Author Contact Information

Valerie Heitshusen Analyst on Congress and the Legislative Process vheitshusen@crs.loc.gov, 7-8635
Acknowledgments
This report was originally written and updated by Paul S. Rundquist and Richard C. Sachs, former specialists in American National Government at CRS, and Faye M. Bullock, former technical information specialist at CRS. The listed author has updated and expanded this report and is available to respond to inquiries on the subject
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Party Leaders in U.S. Congress

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Party Leaders in the United States Congress, 1789-2013

Congressional Research Service 7-5700 www.crs.gov RL30567

CRS Report for Congress

Party Leaders in the United States Congress, 1789-2013

Congressional Research Service

Party Leaders in the United States Congress, 1789-2013

Congressional Research Service

Party Leaders in the United States Congress, 1789-2013

Congressional Research Service

Party Leaders in the United States Congress, 1789-2013

Introduction and Methodological Notes

Congressional Research Service

Party Leaders in the United States Congress, 1789-2013

Identifying House Leaders

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Party Leaders in the United States Congress, 1789-2013

Identifying Senate Leaders

Party Affiliation Designations

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Party Leaders in the United States Congress, 1789-2013

Leadership Posts Excluded

House Positions: Descriptions and Historical Tables

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Party Leaders in the United States Congress, 1789-2013

Table 1. Speakers of the House of Representatives, 1789-2013

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Party Leaders in the United States Congress, 1789-2013

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Party Leaders in the United States Congress, 1789-2013

Party Floor Leader

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Party Leaders in the United States Congress, 1789-2013

Floor Leader John Boehner Eric Cantor

Congress 109th, 110th-111th 112th-

Dates Feb. 2, 2006-2011 2011-

Table 3. House Democratic Floor Leaders, 1899-2013

Congressional Research Service

Party Leaders in the United States Congress, 1789-2013

Floor Leader Nancy Pelosi Steny H. Hoyer Nancy Pelosi

Congress 108th-109th 110th-111th 112th-

Dates 2003-2007 2007-2011 2011-

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Party Leaders in the United States Congress, 1789-2013

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Party Leaders in the United States Congress, 1789-2013

Table 5. House Republican Whips, 1897-2013

Conference or Caucus Chair

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Party Leaders in the United States Congress, 1789-2013

Table 6. House Republican Conference Chairs, 1863-2013

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Party Leaders in the United States Congress, 1789-2013

Dates 1993-1995 1995-1999 1999-2003 2003-2007 2007-2009 2009-2011 2011-2013 2013-

104th-105th 106th-107th 108th-109th 110th 111th 112th 113th-

Table 7. House Democratic Caucus Chairs, 1849-2013

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Party Leaders in the United States Congress, 1789-2013

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Party Leaders in the United States Congress, 1789-2013

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Party Leaders in the United States Congress, 1789-2013

Senate Positions: Descriptions and Historical Tables

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Party Leaders in the United States Congress, 1789-2013